With the HVC Color Composer, you can instantly generate very dynamic palettes inside the color picker. The palettes are generated based on color relationships that you specify, so the palettes will have relevance to your work, unlike prefab palettes.

To create a palette:

1. Set the search mode.

First, you should decide what search mode you would like to use. The two modes are Range and Proportion. Switching between modes changes the set of parameters you are working with. To switch between modes, click the radio buttons next to "Range" or "Proportion".

Range mode: When Range mode is active, you select one target color, and specify a contrast range. Then, all the colors in the resulting palette will be approximately that contrast range from the target color. In other words, all colors in the palette will have the same contrast from the target color.

Proportion mode: When Proportion mode is selected, you select two target colors, and specify a proportion (a ratio). All the colors in the resulting palette will be approximately the same contrast from both target colors.

2. Select target color(s).

In Range mode:

When creating palettes in Range mode, you only need to pick one target color. Simply pick a color, from anywhere in the color picker (either in the color space visualization, or from an existing palette).

In Proportion mode:

In this mode, you pick two target colors. Pick the first color by selecting any color. Then, click the other contrast swatch (see figure below). Now select another color. The two contrast swatches now hold both of your target colors.

3. Set palette search parameters.

There are different search parameters to set depending on which mode you have selected.

In Range mode:

Specify a Contrast Range in the provided text box. Every color in the resulting palette will be this contrast from the target color. For instance, if the Contrast Range is 20, all palette colors will be 20 contrast steps from the target color.

In Proportion Mode:

Specify a Proportion in the provided text box, by typing it, or by using the reveal-slider next to it. Proportions must have the format 1:N, with N between 1 and 5. Every color in the palette will have that contrast proportion between the two target colors. For instance, if the proportion is 1:1, then palette colors will have the same contrast from either color. If it is 1:2, they would be twice the contrast from one target color as they are from the other, and so on.

4. Set palette options.

No matter which mode you're using, you can set the accuracy and depth quantities. Enter the numbers in manuals or use the reveal-sliders next to the text boxes.

Accuracy: This dictates how close a color has to be to the parameters you've set before it is accepted into the palette. For instance, if in Range mode, with a range of 20, and an accuracy of 1.0, then all colors in the palette will be between 19 and 21 contrast steps from the target color.

Depth: This dictates how extensive the palette will be. Whatever level of depth you choose, the resulting palette will contain the same basic colors. But palettes with high depth will have a much longer list of more nuanced colors.

5. Create the palette.

Click the Create Palette button. The palette will appear beneath, in the palette segment.

6. Pick colors from the palette.

To pick a color from the palette, simply click on it, or drag on it. The color will be loaded into the foreground swatch of the color picker, which can then be used in Photoshop when you click "OK".

Note that when the palette is created, just above the palette is displayed some of the information used to generate the palette, such as the target color(s), and the range or proportion used. The display is different depending on the search mode used.

In Range Mode:

The contrast range you specified is shown, as well as the target color. Next to the target color is the color you have currently selected from the palette. This way, you can see the contrast from the target color, as well as the number of contrast steps from the target color, shown right next to the swatches. At any time, you can click these swatches to select those colors.

In Proportion Mode:

The proportion is shown, along with both target colors you chose. The currently selected palette color is also shown next to both of these colors, along with its contrast measurement from both colors. These swatches can be clicked to select the colors they contain as well.

In Auto-Range Mode:

New feature in HVC Color Composer - Professional: In Auto-Range Mode: Auto-Range is the simplest palette creation mode. There are no parameters to specify, other than selecting one target color. Then click "Create Palette". This is the only mode available in the standard version. It is explained in greater detail on this page.

Sorting palettes:

The colors in the current palette can be sorted in six different permutations, to give you a different look and organization to those colors. Click on one of the six sorting buttons.

Some examples of one palette appearing in a few different sort modes:

View the next topic: 5. Saving and using palettes

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